The Golden Trio
by BHancock
Summary: Rika, the rice ball girl of Axe Hand Morgan's arc, is back as a fresh recruit of the Marines! Read about a normal girl's adventures in the New World with Coby and Helmeppo. Coby/Rika, with cameo appearances by Smoker, Hina, and Tashigi and other Marine mainstays. Ties in with Dear Marimo kun, but can also stand alone by itself.
1. Rika's troubles

**The Golden Trio  
**Chapter 1

**Notice:** I am sorry for not continuing Dear Marimo kun. I will be starting that up again, but for now, here's another One Piece fic. I am sorry for not updating as I have been quite busy.

**New World**** - Coby's ship**

_"I'm going to be an Admiral of the Marines. I__-__I promise."_

Coby leaned against the rail of a Marine ship, ferrying them home after a job well done. Coby's unit was assigned to capture two pirates who had a combined bounty of 100,000,000 Beli. It was easy work; the trip going to and from their hideout was more exhausting. He looked up at the night sky, the stars twinkling brightly down as the ship's surroundings were illuminated by lanterns, too weak to outshine the celestial bodies.

He felt strange remembering the promise he made back at Shell Town. Maybe because she was coming to work with them? As he was busy mulling over his thoughts, an officer approached him and saluted.

"Captain, we just got done with the final check up of the prisoners for the night."

Coby waved a hand and said, "At ease, Lieutenant." He then chuckled and added, "You're too stiff, Helmeppo-san."

Helmeppo relaxed and stood lazily, putting all his weight on one leg. "Really? Well someone has to set an example around here." He walked over to a cargo box and sat on it. "Our unit's getting bigger because everyone got wind that you're not as strict as the other captains."

Coby smiled. It was true that he was known for being light on the formalities, but he himself knew that it was just because of his shy and timid nature. He acknowledged that he had no leadership qualities nor combat power comparable to the people who matter. To Helmeppo, he was just being too modest.

"It's going to get even bigger, Helmeppo-san. This time, you'll like it even more."

Helmeppo was having doubts about his captain's enthusiasm, however. "The last time you were this hyped up about something, we got severe burns. Remember how you said getting the Spider-Firefly was something revolutionary in terms of lamp-making?"

"That was that, this is this," amended Coby, moving his hands from one area to another in support of his reason. "Trust me, you'll like the new hirees."

"Yeah right," Helmeppo muttered, scowling at Coby's smiley face. "Like I'd get excited for manly recruits and burly warfreaks."

Coby laughed and Helmeppo joined soon after as they sailed for home and shore leave in Marineford.

**Marineford****-**** Military Personnel Division Bldg.**

_Thunk, thunk._

Sounds of stamping filled the air as Rika clutched her transfer papers close to her chest. It was crowded in the room, as everyone was lining up to get their recruitment papers authenticated and verified. The final step before someone could work at their new designation or job, it meant that hundreds of people crowded inside one medium-size room on a daily basis. As a result, the air was hot, the floors were poorly maintained, and the smell of packed people rivaled that of a dumpster.

The person before Rika slowly got up with his papers, dancing a jig as he no longer had to endure the torture of standing in wait while bathing in heat like dried fish under the sun. She sat down the monobloc chair and presented her documents to the officer in charge, an old lady with messy grey hair and red rimmed spectacles.

"Rika from Shell Town, formerly worked as a waitress. Correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

The officer pursed her chapped lips as she read through her resume.

"It says here that you entered the Marines just last year and rose in the ranks at record time, from Chore Boy to Petty Officer in three months, then for the remaining 9 months, rose to Warrant Officer."

"That is correct, ma'am."

"What I'm more curious about is how you did it," started the officer, glaring at Rika. "How does a lowly waitress like you rise that fast? You have no prior weapons training, your physicals are absolutely average, and your education and tactics are nothing special."

"Hard work and dedication was my drive, ma'am. I already knew I was not special, so I tried hard and put in twice the effort as the other recruits," Rika replied respectfully. She had prior warning that the signing was going to double as an interview, but she never realized it was the harsh kind.

"So you're saying all the officers who rose through the ranks don't put in the kind of effort like you did?"

"I did not say that ma'am, and I believe those men and women have put in just as much effort to gain their titles." Rika found it hard to maintain a smile infront of the harsh interrogation as well as the sweltering heat. While inside she was irritated, she gained respect for the people who sat behind the desks everyday in that kind of atmosphere.

"I am still at a loss on what made people approve this recruitment," said the officer, shaking her head. "The unit you're trying to get into is made up of people who have talent and the effort to back it up. You might have all the effort, but the talent isn't there."

"I consider it a blessing to be chosen ma'am," said Rika, bowing her head. The old lady peered at Rika once again, squinting her eyes at Rika's childish face.

"It says here that Captain Coby was the one who vouched for you personally. He also came from the Shell Town base." The lady paused, looked around, and motioned for Rika to lend her ear. "Are you sure you're not the captain's girlfriend?"

"No ma'am, definitely not," waved Rika with a sheepish smile. "I haven't seen Coby- ah, the captain in a long time. We do mail each other when we can and maintain correspondence."

"What about the other guy?"

"What about him?"

The officer finally stamped Rika's papers in a practiced way, one rhythmic thunk after another. When she was done and gave the papers back to Rika, she stopped the warrant officer for a minute.

"Like you, Captain Coby rose through the ranks through prodigous effort," said the officer, looking intently at Rika. "Do not shame his name."

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh, one other thing," said the officer, raising her hand. "The captain is quite famous in the Marines, so if you ever decide to make a move on him, remember that you'll be dealing with his fans. It's hard to believe that a girl like you has no interest in him."

Rika gave a parting smile and walked out of the furnace to look at her crumpled but definitely valid recruitment papers. She couldn't wait to see Coby. Well, Helmeppo too but Coby was the one who really made an effort to maintain communication whenever he could.

Loudspeaker den den mushis attached to the ceiling blared out the announcement for the new recruits to assemble at the training grounds.

Rika took a deep breath, and strode out of the MPD building doors wearing a determined face, hurrying down the stone steps by skipping two at a time.

**Marineford - Training Grounds**

Helmeppo sat on one of the benches surrounding the training grounds. Many recruits were turning up, looking around excitedly like kids in a candy store. On one side, people were training their Observation Haki. On another side, the Marines were practicing their Tekkai. It was a completely new sight for the new people, being a place where you had to be on top of your game all the time.

Desks and chairs were assembled on the grounds, complete with the name of the commander of the group you wanted to join. Helmeppo sighed once again, seeing it pointless to go down and sit on the chair. Most of the men in Coby's unit were either rejects from other units or recommended by Coby himself. He had heard from the man that for this batch, he recommended one person. Helmeppo doubted that he or she would turn up though. The men usually settled for the more prestigious units and the women weren't any different. If they wanted safe desk jobs, Vice Admiral Tsuru's unit was the way to go. So technically, he was following orders to keep an eye out for potential recruits.

A drill instructor came out and gave an overview of the units prepared to accept them. He went through each unit, detailing their achievements and rattling off the popular names assembled there. When it came to Coby's group, only his name was mentioned, his prowess as Garp's protege, and the overall gist was that the group did odd missions that the Marines didn't bother with. Helmeppo mentioned this to Coby and all he said was, "If we do our best in the missions given to us, no matter how big or small, we will be recognized in time."

He still admired the optimism his captain showed, even at the obvious discrimination just because they were Garp's students. Nothing could get him down, and Helmeppo vowed to follow Coby because of that quality.

"All right, girls and boys, line up! Slots are limited so hurry up! At the count of three... One, two, three!" He shot a gun into the air, and at the instant the crack sounded everyone raced for the line.

The recruits used all the speed or trapping moves in their arsenals to become first in line, or close to it. Those with devil fruits held an advantage as well as the fast ones. The big ones could just outmuscle everyone, and the crafty ones who formed groups worked together to take down individuals. The whole event was just to make the recruiters see who had potential and who had none. There was no harm involved and Marine medics stood by in case of accidents.

Helmeppo watched as the other tables filled with potential applicants while theirs was as empty as a basket filled with nothing. He was ready to give up and go home when there was one girl who walked up to the table, clasping her hands and asking the adjacent table where the recruiter for her table was.

"Hmm," snorted Helmeppo as he walked towards the chair he was supposed to sit on in the first place. "Let's see what you got."

**Training Grounds - Rika**

Rika lined up as a drill instructor came out and explained how things would work. She had been hearing rumors about a race to sign up. Her confidence plummeted. _How am I going to get into Coby's unit now?_

"Hey babe, where you from?" Rika didn't answer until she was slapped on the bottom. Taking care not to scream and slap the person who did, she looked at the culprit. It was a white man with yellow curls and a broad defined body. She was sure it was chiseled, since the clothes he was wearing stuck to his skin.

"Shell Town, East Blue." Rika decided to call him 'Butt Man' for what just happened.

"Rank?"

"Warrant Officer." At this statement, the Butt Man's eyebrows creased.

"What's a warrant officer doing here? Gimme your papers."

"No- ah, hey!" Butt Man grabbed them unceremoniously. Rika only released them for fear of having them torn. His eyes roved all over the paper. He showed his buddies the data and all of them laughed.

"Are you sure you're in the right place, kid?" he asked. "You're going to be assigned into the New World. That place is hell. You have no credentials except your unexplainable rise in rank." Butt Man sniggered and added, "You must be one hell of a ho to get to where you are now." His buddies laughed with him.

"Go home!"

"Let me do you for free! I'll put in a good word for you!"

"Get back to your kitchen in East Blue!"

Just at that moment though, a gunshot sounded, and everyone was bewildered. When they spotted the recruits at front make a mad break for the tables, everyone followed suit. Butt Man did too but not before scattering Rika's documents in the air.

"Stay calm, Rika. Everything will be fine," she told herself, as she skillfully nabbed her papers one by one. She then started running towards the table that said 'Captain Coby' to make up for lost time, but slowed down almost immediately. After all, no one was lining up and no one was present there.

"Um, excuse me sir," she asked the recruiter of Vice Admiral Ronse, whose table was beside Coby's. "Where is the captain's recruiter?"

"Just wait."

She was prepared to stand there all day when the same group whistled at her down the line.

"Why are you joining that sorry excuse of a unit? Oh right, you're a sorry excuse too!" Laughter was to be had as a lot of recruits in Ronse's line sniggered in approval. "Captain Coby is known as a poster boy. Who wants to join a group whose leader's achievements only consist of posing for recruitment posters?"

Rika had enough. "I'll have you know that Coby is not like that! He's kind and understanding! He gives it his all! Who are you to judge him like that!?"

"Who are you to address him without his rank huh?" said Butt Man, retaliating. "Ah, you're the captain's ho! Are you? Or are you planning to advance in rank again using your body on him? This is why the Marines are going to the dogs. Those posters will bring nothing but unskilled horny women to HQ."

Just then, a kukri knife was placed on the skin of Butt Man's neck. "That is no way to speak to a woman, soldier." Silencing him right up, a man with weird shades came and sat on the recruiter's chair.

"A-are you the recruiter, sir?" asked Rika tentatively. "I wish to sign up for Captain Coby's unit."

The man waved away all the words and told her to affix her name, signature, and thumbprint on the list. As he looked through her papers, his eyes bugged out of his sunglasses.

"Rika? Hey Rika, it's me," laughed the man, removing his shades. "It's Helmeppo."

"Helmeppo-saaaaaaa- I mean, Lieutenant Commander sir!" greeted Rika back, excited to see an old friend. Helmeppo extended a hand to which Rika shook wholeheartedly.

"I'd hug you now but we'd be making a scene," quipped Helmeppo as he reversed the table sign to 'Closed'. "Now I know why Coby was so excited! He knew you were coming!"

"I know! I was shocked when the recommendation came," she revealed happily. "He told me in our letters that there was a surprise coming, but I didn't expect it to be something like this."

They walked to where Rika put her bags, and Helmeppo offered to help. Normally, her rank would dictate that she do the hard work, but after the exhaustion of the day's events she let the guy do it. She resolved to do something later as thanks.

"So he sent you letters?" asked Helmeppo. "He never said anything."

"Really? He said you sent your regards to me," replied Rika, equally as bewildered.

"Well, you might have crossed our minds when we talked about Shell Town, but he never told me about- ahhhhhh." Comprehension suddenly dawned on Helmeppo and nodded to himself. He smiled at Rika, who showed him a confused expression.

"Ahhhh?"

"Ahhhh. It means you can ask him yourself," said Helmeppo, as they stopped at the female Marine dormitories. Coby was right at the gate being swarmed by fan girls, signing posters with his face on them and dodging sneak kisses and hugs. Being a celebrity was hard work.

"He seems busy," remarked Rika, stating the obvious.

"Trust me, he's not," replied Helmeppo, still smarting from the fact that his captain wrote Rika letters in secret. He was going to have a field day with the new info.

**A/N:** I'm back with a new story whoo! Please read and review! Reviews are important, uhuh. The reason why Rika is being looked down upon is because the usual recruits to Marineford are of Lieutenant to Ensign level. At least, that's how it is in the fic.


	2. Coby's worries

**The Golden Trio  
**Chapter 2

**Marineford - Coby****'s Office**

The door opened and in came Helmeppo, with Coby trailing behind and slowly closing it. Locking it for extra safety, he faced his best friend with his head down. Helmeppo was sitting in Coby's chair, prepping his feet onto the desk and smoking an imaginary cigar.

"So, dear friend," Helmeppo began, leaning back on the chair. "Care to explain why you never told me all of this?"

"There was never a reason to," answered Coby, shuffling his feet in place. His head rose only to meet Helmeppo at eye level, and the lieutenant commander's eyes told him that he didn't believe a single word. His eyes immediately dropped to the floor.

"Sure, and I'm the fleet admiral." Helmeppo stood up and walked slowly towards Coby until he was standing right in front of the captain. "Come on, bud. I have a good idea why, but I wanna hear it from you."

Coby sighed, sensing that there was no escape. "Okay...I had a crush on her. Yes she's a lot younger but I still like her in that way." He slumped down on the ground, his hands on his head. "It's wrong, yet for some reason, I like how wrong it is."

"Do young girls turn you on?"

"NO! Hell no," disagreed Coby, shaking his head from side to side violently. "It's just that I liked how kind she was and how mature she seemed to be, since almost every woman I met back with Alvida were either violent or tricky. She was neither, and the only one who talked to me back at Shell Town."

Helmeppo just looked at his bestfriend's sad posture. He had crappy luck with women himself so he wasn't in any way qualified to cheer him up. But he tried, since that was what bestfriends did.

"Chin up Coby. What do you think Luffy would have done if he was in your position?"

Coby mulled over the question for a minute. "I have no idea."

"You're right," laughed Helmeppo, relieved that Coby was returning to his former self. "We have no idea what kind of woman he likes."

"As long as that person can cook, I don't think he'd mind it being a man," answered Coby. After thinking about the implications over what he just said, they both decided to call it a day and return to their dormitories. They hadn't drunk any alcohol that day, but with the last part of their conversation, they might as well have sloshed gallons.

**Marineford - Rika's room**

Rika finished arranging her things in her small room. She stared at her family picture hanging on the wall opposite her bed, and thought about how she met Coby after a long time. Helmeppo was quite the guy, shooing the fan girls so that they could talk. Her favors kept piling up, she needed to stop relying on the man.

She remembered back to when they saw each other again.

"Rika-san," Coby began breathlessly. He had a grin on his face, sunny just like she remembered it.

"Hey there, Coby sir," Rika returned, chiding him about his rank. Coby punched her shoulder lightly.

"Lay off. We're off-duty." Helmeppo came along after shooing everyone out. He'd just put on a mad face and the ladies would scamper. _Never fails to work every time._

The three of them stood around for a moment before coming to their senses. Rika took Coby and Helmeppo up on their offer and started carrying her bags up the stairs, but the lady in the counter stopped them. "Hey hey, where are you going?" she demanded in an imperious tone. The three of them looked at her nameplate and saw the words 'landlady' engraved on it.

"Helping her settle down by carrying her bags, madam," answered Coby gracefully, laying on the charm with a smile. The landlady wasn't impressed.

"Boy, you might be one handsome bugger, but them's the rules," said the landlady, pointing at a sign behind her. It read, 'Only men with dormitory passes can go upstairs. Present it to the landlady before proceeding,'

"This is a special case then," said Coby, doing his best to ease in the rules. "Can you issue two passes right now for me and my friend here?"

"No, she must have stayed here for at least 3 months," replied the landlady without blinking. The three of them looked downcast after that.

"Aww guys, don't be like that," said Rika, picking up her own bags. "I'll carry them myself. Thanks for offering the help though."

Someone came down, and both guys saluted. Black Cage Hina returned Helmeppo's salute, but just looked deadpan at Coby. Rika's impression of her was that she was a fierce beauty. _Whoever is her partner must be someone strong as well._

"It doesn't make sense to salute me when we're of the same rank," sniffed Hina, looking at Rika. "Also we're off duty. What are you doing here? As far as I know you don't have a girlfriend." She looked at Rika again and put two and two together. "She the girlfriend?"

"I am a new recruit ma'am," saluted Rika, which Hina returned. "It just so happens that I personally know both Captain Coby and Lieutenant Commander Helmeppo, because we all came from Shell Town base."

Hina stared at both Coby and Rika back and forth. She then nodded and went over at Coby, muttering the words, "Good luck." Helmeppo snorted while Coby had the reaction of someone whose deepest secrets had been outed. "Now move along. I'll help the poor girl with her things here."

Rika waved goodbye to her two seniors as Hina carried her bags along with her to her room.

"What's your name?" asked Hina, attempting to make small talk. Being the good girl that she was, Rika obliged.

"It's Rika ma'am. How do you know Coby-san and Helmeppo-san?"

"I'm Hina, call me Hina," said the captain, regretting that she didn't light a cigarette now that her hands were full. "They were Garp's trainees here in HQ, and I watched them do all sorts of things. I'm quite proud of them since they've raced through the ranks in just two years."

"Hina-san, this might be rude of me," tested Rika, afraid to get on the newly-introduced superior's bad side, "but are you Coby's fangirl too?"

Hina stopped abruptly, and cranked her head slowly to look at Rika like a rusty robot would. Her face was wrought with incredulity.

"No."

**Marineford - Training Grounds**

Coby woke up early the next day and cooked himself breakfast as was his habit. Today it was soy beans with cabbage and chicken gravy. A side of bagels accompanied the heavy breakfast along with the usual delivery of cappuccino. He had sent an order to Rika to show up early at the grounds, so he figured he would do some exercising himself.

After eating, he headed to the grounds in his tracksuit. The dawn air was chilly, and the dew was still visible. When he got there, he saw Rika doing the basic exercises by herself. Coby marveled at his subordinate's, nay- _friend's_ punctuality.

"You're earlier than me," said Coby, cupping his hands as he called out to her. "That's amazing."

"I wouldn't want to disappoint my captain," Rika replied, a faint sheen of sweat forming on her person.

"I'm your captain, huh," mumbled Coby before he jogged towards her.

The captain made Rika do 500-meter sprints, 100-meter duckwalks, among other things. As light came, it became clear that Rika just was not New World level physically. In essence, her physical abilities were below the minimum required for missions in the New World. As a result, while the average recruit would just be panting lightly, Rika was dead on her feet. She collapsed onto the grass, her muscles aching for air, water, and rest.

Coby looked at her with worry. True it was his intention to bring her to HQ, but even HQ had rules. One of them was that all the Marines in HQ had to fulfill a certain physical criteria, even the old ones. Rika's results out of this impromptu session was way below the requirement. Coby's duty at this point was to tell her that she wasn't ready, but as a friend, he was loathe to disappoint her and make her pack her bags back to Shell Town after an overnight stay.

"We'll do this again tomorrow, okay?" said Coby, not looking back as he feared his honesty would get the best of him. He was determined to do whatever it took to get Rika up to speed, even if it required him to make her to all-nighters. The physicals for the recruits was coming tomorrow after all.

**Marineford - Mess Hall**

Helmeppo stood in line as the cooks filled his tray with food. He had heard that HQ had to deal with subpar glop some years before, when the Marley Brothers were the Head Chef and Sous Chef of the HQ kitchen, respectively. He looked down at his tray when it was filled and he still saw the same food. He sighed and walked towards where his and Coby's usual table was.

"Would it kill them to create a different menu?" complained Helmeppo, setting down his tray. "I've had enough of the same damn carrots for the last two years!"

Normally, Coby would reply with, "It's for our dream, Helmeppo-san," or "Be patient, change will come." But today, no retort arrived. Instead, Helmeppo was greeted with the sight of his captain putting his head between his hands.

"Something wrong, Coby?" he asked, eating his food mechanically. His tongue had long given up on taste. It was essential if you've been eating the same food almost three times a day for two years.

"It's Rika-san," said the distraught pinkette. "Her physical is not up to par compared to what the records say."

"You mean to say she cheated?"

"I don't know. I don't think she did. It's just hard to believe that she's at this level yet she's already a Warrant Officer."

"Maybe they promoted her because of other reasons."

Coby stared at Helmeppo hard. "And those reasons are...?" Helmeppo was confused for a moment, and suddenly he amended his statement.

"Not what you think! What I meant was, maybe she has excellent commanding skills or something along those lines. Those cannot be seen in a physicals sheet, we know that."

Coby resolved to contact Shell Town after his meal.

**Marineford - Communications Department Building**

"Operator, connect me to a private line in Shell Town base," requested Coby, taking out his wallet.

"That will be 20 Beli sir," said the operator, and Coby handed over the payment. In return, he was given a den den mushi which will be his for a limited time period of 30 minutes.

"Hello?"

"This is Captain Coby," he stated. "I wish to talk to Lieutenant Ripper."

"One moment please."

Various sounds could be heard until someone picked up the reciever at the other end.

"Lieutentant Ripper at your service," joked a voice that Coby hadn't heard for a long time.

"Ripper-san!" he exclaimed.

"Woah son, don't wet yourself!" said a surprised Ripper, happy to hear his former subordinate's voice again.

The two Marines spent some time to catch up with each other and talk about the past. It wasn't until Coby looked at the clock that he realized he'd consumed too much time being happy that he forgot the real reason he was calling for.

"Ripper-san, there's something I need to ask you about," said Coby. Ripper stiffened up at the change of tone in his voice. "Are Rika-san's physical results falsified?"

"No, it's not."

"Please be honest with me."

"I am telling you the truth, sir."

Coby didn't want to destroy his friendship with Ripper, but his natural honesty was clawing at him. He had been hearing bad rumors about Rika, and he wanted to put them all to rest.

"Another thing," Coby began, breathing in. "Rika was promoted in record time. If it wasn't for her physical abilities, then could it be that she...used some special favors to get-"

"ARE YOU A FUCKING IDIOT!?"

Coby's ear smarted from Ripper's loud voice and jerked the receiver away from him.

"SHE'S YOUR FRIEND, COBY. YOU KNOW HER MORE THAN ANYONE. YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULDN'T DOUBT HER!"

The pinkette braved his former superior's scolding since seniority did not matter in this situation.

"She was very happy after every letter you sent back here! She was so inspired by your deeds and actions that she became the pride of Shell Town!" Deep inside, Ripper knew he was in danger of being court-martialed, but he didn't care. If it was to protect Rika, then he'd do anything.

"She worked hard to get where she is now! Don't negate that effort by listening to rumors that people who don't know her say! Trust in your bond as friends!"

Coby listened in silence as Ripper caught his breath.

"She was like a daughter to me, Coby. As her presumed father, I beg you to protect her in HQ."

"I'm sorry for doubting you and Rika-san," apologized the captain, choking up. "It was wrong of me to listen to the things other people said about her and letting it bother me."

"Don't be," replied Ripper. "You just thought of her well-being. Thank you for consulting me about it. It's better to let these things out in the open than keep it inside."

"So Ripper-san...what is the real reason then?" tried Coby tentatively. "I was just worried to the bone since there's only one day left before HQ calls all recruits for the exams."

"Oh, you'll see," teased Ripper, laughing. "By the way, you said that you ran your own personal physical on her, and that the results didn't match the ones on paper. Did you both go see a doctor?"

"What for? She didn't tell me she was sick, and she didn't look it," said Coby, thinking back to earlier in the day when Rika was sprawled out on the ground.

"Coby, have you ever had a girlfriend before?"

"What's with the out-of-this-world question, Ripper-san?"

"So never?"

"Never."

Ripper considered it for a minute, and finally gave in. "Coby, you go get Rika and tell her you're going to see the doctor. If she refuses, just pull rank. Tell the doc that you don't know what happened, since you said she seemed lousy at the early physical you did today."

"Will do. Thanks, Ripper-san," said Coby, almost bowing on the phone. "You've been a great help."

"One more tip, Coby. We use her extensively in scouting missions."

**Marineford - Female Dormitories**

Having learned his lesson, Coby waited a safe distance from the buildings. He wore civilian clothing for added precaution. He just hoped there wouldn't be a summons from the higher-ups, because of the hassle that was called changing attire.

As soon as Rika exited the dorm, she immediately spotted Coby hiding behind a lamp post.

"How did you know it was me right away?"

"Only you have that horrible fashion sense."

The time spent walking to the clinic was dominated by profuse apologies by Coby and numerous "It's alright" replies from Rika. The contagious bowing would have lasted for a long time had Rika not asked where they were going.

"We're going to a clinic for a check up," replied Coby nonchalantly. Rika's eyes bugged out and started walking back to the dormitory but one strong arm from Coby dissuaded her from leaving. "I order you to follow me to the clinic." The girl had no choice but to follow; Marineford was still a military base at its core.

The pinkette waited for the result of the check up, his right knee going up and down nervously. The doctor's secretary looked at him funny. Time seemed to pass by slowly for Coby, until the door to the doctor's office opened and the patient was nowhere to be seen.

"What's the matter, doc?" asked a hopeful Coby.

"Yup, you've never had a girlfriend in your life," replied the doctor with a deadpan expression. "Your subordinate here is undergoing her period. The reason why she didn't tell you is because it was her first time."

"At 14?"

"Believe it or not, some women don't get it as late as 16. Conversely, some start at 9 years old." With that statement, Rika exited the office with her face as red as a tomato. "Dearie, it's okay. Captain here won't be teasing you about it, right?" The doctor's eyes seemed to bore a hole right through Coby's psyche when she said that.

"I would not dream of it," replied Coby, saluting. "I swear it on my honor as a Marine."

"You don't need to go that far," laughed the doctor, and pretty soon the secretary, Rika, and even Coby himself joined in.

As they walked back to the dormitories, Rika found her voice and started apologizing. "Coby-san, I'm sorry for not telling you about what was happening to me. I was just so embarrassed about it and it was all very new to me."

"No need to worry, Rika-san," Coby replied, ruffling her hair. "I'll do all the worrying for you so you don't have to do it yourself, okay?"

"If you say so," she acquiesced while pulling a smile worth a million Beli.

"Hey, Coby, Rika," called Helmeppo from a distance. "Let's eat somewhere out today. I got an advance from our next mission."

"You took out some money from before we did it?" complained Coby. "Helmeppo-san, why are you such an idiot?"

"You don't have taste buds. I do," retorted Helmeppo. "I would love some real food once in a while. You in, Rika?"

"Sure, but I still haven't gotten my pay," Rika said while checking her wallet.

"It's on the house."

"Helmeppo-san!"

**A/N:** I know that it's really supposed to be Shells Town, and I made Rika older than she really is. But this is my fic and you can't do anything about it, la la la~. I did try to set up an explanation as to why she looks so young in her time skip appearance. Yes, you want adventure and action, and you'll get it next chapter! Please review! I love reviews. Criticism is what drives me, grrr!


	3. Helmeppo's timely save

**The Golden Trio  
**Chapter 3

**Marineford - Training Grounds**

It was a hot day for the HQ recruits' physicals. People were watching from the bleachers, cheering for their friends and co-workers as the new recruits strutted their stuff in the exams. This crop of Marines were impressing the judges, which included notable names like Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Dalmatian, and Commodore Brannew. The former two were known physical powerhouses, while Brannew brought the smarts in the world of the jocks.

Coby and Helmeppo were walking towards the judges' tent, where many people were going to and fro.

"Garp-san!" they called together, going near the booth to greet their teacher.

"Runts! I missed you both," greeted Garp, hugging both of his students together. After Garp released them from his bone-crushing hug, both boys bowed to Bogart, who just nodded his head curtly in return.

"What brings you here, boys? Come to check out the current crop?"

"Nah, we're just here to look out for our recruit," replied Helmeppo, getting water from a dispenser.

"Who you got?" On cue, Garp was handed Rika's biodata. "This girl? She's nothing special."

"We're just here to see her pass, not excel, Garp-san," laughed Coby.

"With these stats, I hope she does," Garp muttered. "These numbers are how a normal Marine would do in our track. The HQ only gets the best of the best." He returned the biodata to Coby. "If she wants to stay, she has to do better."

"We know, Garp-san," agreed the pinkette. "It's why we're here. We want to ask you to train her to be up to HQ standards in three months."

"What's this about? You know I don't have time to bring students up anymore," asked Garp, taking a bite out of his rice crackers. Cheers could be heard outside. Looks like someone did something impressive.

"Coby here has a crush on her," said Helmeppo, clearly tired of flip-flopping around. Coby glared at him, but the bladesman didn't care.

"Ohhh, our little boy is becoming a man!" laughed Garp, making Coby heat up. "Tell you what, if she passes, I'll take time off to train her."

"Really? That's great, Garp-san!" With newfound enthusiasm, Coby bounded out of the tent practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Garp looked at Helmeppo. "I'm just relieved the guy isn't gay. God knows we've got too many good-looking men walking the other path. I really thought he was interested in you."

Helmeppo gagged a bit, and waved goodbye to Garp. He had to find his captain before he embarrassed himself in public.

**Training Grounds - Rika**

Rika was wiping sweat off her brow. Her two senior officers had made sure that she ate right the night before, and slept early to make her condition as optimal as possible. There were still some effects lingering from her period, but it was nothing she could not handle. _I can do this!_

The current test was a 20 meter jungle gym. It was a test she knew she could handle, since the course was not a speed one, but the endurance kind. She had fallen below average for almost all the speed tests, but she passed every endurance test there was. This was the last one before she could rest and eat lunch, and she couldn't wait to eat what Coby promised to cook up.

"On my mark...3...2...1...go!"

Rika jumped onto the first bar, gripping it with two hands. She just had to calmly set a pace for herself, no matter how slow it seemed. First meter clear...fourth meter cleared...Eighth meter...By the tenth meter, her vision was slowly swimming. Being that her hands and arms were the only ones moving, blood would naturally rush there.

She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, chanting to herself in her mind. _This is not a race, this is not a race._ After she steadied herself, she started up again. Eleventh meter cleared...Fourteenth...At the fifteenth, she almost slipped and fell down because her hands were sweating profusely. _Don't give up Rika, there's only five meters to go!_

Alas, by the nineteenth meter, her cells were screaming for rest. She couldn't feel her legs, and her head was practically mush at this point. Rika was positive she could have fried raw eggs on her head the way the sun was bearing down on her. She just wanted to give up, to just fall down the inviting blue mat...it seemed like the mat was saying something. "Fall down," it said. "Fall down! Fall down! Fall down!" The mat's voice was inviting, and Rika was sorely tempted to follow it. But then, the mat's mantra changed halfway.

"Fall down! Fall down! Fall give up! Fall don't give up! Don't give up! Don't give up!"

Puzzled by the change, it helped Rika jolt her senses back to awake status, and make her push ahead until the final meter, where she finished with flying colors. As she fell down face first towards the ground, a pair of slim but sturdy hands caught her fall. The only thing Rika remembered before fainting was a world of white.

**Marineford - Hospital Room**

Rika awoke to an unfamiliar scene. There was a ceiling fan gently turning, and as she looked to her left, Coby was dozing off on the bedside table and Helmeppo was playing cards by himself a little farther away.

"Oh, you're awake?" said Helmeppo, ditching the cards to attend to his friend. "How do you feel?"

"Dizzy but fine," replied Rika as she accepted the glass of water Helmeppo gave her. "How did I do on the tests?"

"Passed with flying colors," smiled the bladesman, procuring her results from a brown envelope. "Your speed tests weren't all that impressive, but your endurance ones were out of this world. Not to mention that you're still on the rag."

Rika's eyes flicked to Helmeppo on the last sentence before looking back at her results. He noticed the small action and immediately apologized.

"Hey, nothing to worry about," giggled Rika. "I just didn't know it was called that way."

"Really," said Helmeppo, unsure. "Anyhow, Coby here was cheering for you so hard and loud, I didn't want to be associated with him. He kept screaming, "Don't give up! Don't give up!" like an idiot. I knew you wouldn't give up."

"Thanks for believing in me then." Rika then took one look underneath the sheets to see that all she was wearing was her panties underneath the hospital gown. She gave Helmeppo an inquisitive look, and he raised his hands in surrender right away.

"Nurses did it, not us."

At this point Coby woke up, saw Rika awake, got surprised and fell over. Both Helmeppo and Rika laughed at the clumsiness. When everyone settled down, Coby rang for the nurse to bring over the discharge papers.

"You were seriously impressive out there, Rika-san!" he gushed, waving his hands like a kid. "The bars were coated with sea monster oil, and although you suffered some minor burns on your hands, you finished the course!"

"What's so good about it?" asked Rika.

"You can count the rookies on this batch who have finished the course," supplemented Helmeppo. "Most of them either had devil fruits or Armament Haki. You had none of that, and your record is nothing to boast about."

Rika felt happy at being praised by her seniors. The feeling made her a little giddy, and the feeling persisted until they exited the hospital. Now that she was feeling better and her vision cleared up, she noticed something about Coby.

"Coby-san, your cheek is red," she said, pointing the obvious. "Did someone punch you?"

Helmeppo coughed to get attention, tied his long hair into a bun and launched into an impersonation of one of the ER doctors in the hospital. "Are you an idiot? Why did you let the poor girl compete? You could have gone here and secured a medical certificate, but you just had to go an endanger her health! What would you have done if not enough blood went to her brain because she was losing enough as it is, huh?"

He untied his hair back to its normal state and said, "That's how it happened. The slap came right after you were wheeled to your room. The electrolyte bag came after."

"I'm sorry Coby-san," bowed Rika, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry for putting this burden on you."

"Oh no, it's completely alright," smiled a sheepish Coby, scratching his head. "Slaps are nothing to me anyway."

Helmeppo clapped his hands. "Now that's out of the way, there is a bit of good news we wanted to share with you."

"Now, Helmeppo-san?" asked a surprised Coby.

"Well, seeing as dear Rika here is quite down, a bit of good news ought to cheer her up," reasoned Helmeppo. Coby agreed and took it upon himself to tell her.

"We asked Garp-san to train you, and he agreed!"

"Wow, that's wonderful!" smiled Rika, showing her million-beli smile once again. "You have been babysitting me all this time, I always wonder when I'm going to repay you."

"Don't worry about it, " Coby grinned. "Honest."

Just then, a Marine saluted Coby and gave him the mission orders. Coby nodded and followed him to the debriefing.

"I'll look after her, don't worry," called Helmeppo. "Let's go." He and Rika jogged a bit to get the energy flowing.

**Marineford - Training Grounds**

In the afternoon, it was combat evaluation. There were three main tests, which was hand-to-hand, swordsmanship, and marksmanship. Devil Fruit users had a separate test for themselves, which is to test how adept they are at controlling their powers.

Helmeppo bought an egg sandwich and some orange juice as he sat down near shade. He bought another one for when Rika came back. He told him that she could take it easy since she's already passed, but not too much because this still counted towards her overall pedigree as a Marine.

The first test was swordsmanship. Rika did not fare well as expected; her speed was just abysmal. She also did not have the power to break through people's guards, unlike one Santoryuu user Helmeppo was very familiar with. However, she did memorize all the basic stances, so she passed on her Kata.

It was a familiar sight with hand-to-hand combat. This time, she was paired with random recruits and given three minutes to take the other person down. It hadn't been ten seconds before she tapped into submission. It was another essential quality that she had been lacking, which was power. She memorized basic techniques no question, all the useful joint locks and parries, but it was all useless if she did not have the minimum power or speed to execute them in a real life situation.

Rika was feeling confident about the third test though. It was marksmanship, and she had requested Lieutenant Ripper to leave it off her bio. She had aimed to surprise Coby, but seeing as he wasn't there, she felt Helmeppo would do. _Look at me, Helmeppo-san. I'll make you proud of me yet!_

"Hey, it's Captain Coby's whore!"

_Scratch that, please don't look at me._

Butt Man had shown up once again in her life, and she wanted nothing more than to be rid of him. It was just her luck that he had been matched with her, and she resolved to throw the exam away just to rid his face out of her line of sight.

"Ready...aim...fire!"

_Crack! _Sounds of gunfire rent the air as everyone was in the marksman part of their tests. A lot of recruits just wished for this test to be over, Rika included. However, all the taunting Butt Man was giving her was making her angrier and angrier.

"You missed at 25 meters?" laughed Butt Man, hitting the stock of his rifle on the ground repeatedly. "Even a toddler could hit that far! Why are you in the Marines?"

100 meters. _Miss._

"Expected as much."

400 meters. _Miss._

"Instructor, why are you still testing this dunce? She can't hit the broad side of barn!"

Rika sighed. _Only one more test and I'm free. _The last distance was at 1600 meters, to which the ones who could hit the bullseye would compete for the Best Marksman title for their batch of recruits.

"Get out of here. You're a disgrace. You know what, that faggot Coby was even dumber in taking you in. I heard he recommended you? What a shame. You're just a two-bit whore who uses her clam to rise in the ranks. Fucking prostitute."

"That's IT! Insult me all you like I don't care, but never, ever shame my captain like that!" An angry Rika picked up her rifle and proceeded to shoot without getting into firing position.

The instructor was indignant but Rika was not willing to listen anymore. "Hey, I haven't given the signal yet-"

_Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!_ Rika emptied her rifle's magazine by hitting all the targets at maximum distance without assuming proper firing position. Everyone at site was amazed at her prowess, yet the instructor in charge of their pair was having none of it.

"Insubordination! As punishment, you have to clean the male toilets for a week!"

"Now now, she was only saving her captain's honor," interrupted Helmeppo, skidding towards the testing area.

"Even if you are her superior officer, you cannot deny she didn't listen to me," said the instructor, folding his arms confrontationally.

"Agreed, but maybe you'll change your mind after hearing what I recorded in the tone dials," said Helmeppo, digging through his pockets. "Ah, here it is." He pressed the apex and what came out was the Soul King's new release, _Bone to be Wild._

"COME ON BABYYYY~"

"Whoops, wrong dial..."

_Click. "Get out of here. You're a disgrace. You know what, that faggot Coby..."_

"Okay okay, I'm sorry." Butt Man went down on his knees and performed a full dogeza. Helmeppo just shrugged and pocketed the dial. The instructor considered things for a minute.

"I'll let the girl go, but her captain has to give her ample punishment," he said, "and mail me the specific process that she has to do in serving it. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes sir."

**Marineford - Mess Hall**

"That instructor has his head up his own ass too much," grumbled Helmeppo, his hands in his pockets. They were hungry after the ordeal, so after the instructor gave her one mark short of perfect they decided to wait for Coby as they were eating an early dinner.

"Let's let it go, Helmeppo-san," said Rika, obviously glad that everything didn't blow up. "Besides, I think everything went well, all things considered."

"I just hate pompous shits like him," he complained. "I could whoop his ass just like that and he still acts condescending like he knows shit." He looked at Rika only to see her innocent face drag him towards the good side of his conscience. "Sorry, just had to vent. That recruit was egging you on too much. A little rivalry is healthy, but stepping on personal ground is another thing. You should have clocked him when he called you a...you-know-what."

"It's alright," she sighed. "It's all over now anyway."

They ate ahead of Coby, who caught up with them rather late. "Sorry, got held up at the meeting. How'd everything go?"

As they narrated the afternoon's events to him, Coby's face fell down more with each passing minute.

"Okay," he said, ruminating over the details with mashed potato and broccoli. "So that all happened, and now I'm supposed to give Rika-san her punishment?"

"You know that's true," answered Helmeppo. Rika just looked on nervously as the two guys deliberated her task.

"But she was just defending me," Coby reasoned out.

"Seems like the instructor thinks about his honor more than yours when you're the one insulted," shrugged Helmeppo. "This is the way the world is."

"Did you at least get the trophy?"

Rika shook her head. "Because I broke the rules, I'm not considered for it."

The three of them thought long and hard before Coby had an idea. All he told Rika was that she should pack tonight and get ready for a journey tomorrow morning.

**Marineford - Port**

Coby waited with Helmeppo at the docks, breathing in the salty sea air. Helmeppo was balancing on the docking ropes as they waited for Rika to show up.

"You were quite the gentleman back at the grounds yesterday," teased the LC. "Oh no, Rika! Soru!" He made a poor imitation of Coby's speed move which even cracked Coby up.

"You know I don't look that way," laughed Coby, as Rika showed up with a small stroller. She went up to them, put her bag down, and saluted.

"Warrant Officer Rika, present for my first mission," she stated, looking past them as was the rule. "I am also here to serve out my punishment, which is to help both of you complete this retrieval mission sir."

"Duly noted," Coby responded, hoisting up his Justice coat. "So, what do you think of the ship, huh? It's not mine, but..." He noticed that Rika was still standing ramrod straight. "At ease, officer."

"I like the ship," said Rika, picking up her stroller. "Does she have a name?"

"It's not his, per se," said Helmeppo, going up the wooden ramp. "He'll have his own someday, but not now."

The ship in question was no larger than a caravel. It was designed for speedy travel, as the only members for the mission were Coby, Helmeppo, and Rika. All they had to do was to fetch an expensive but useless artifact for the Marines.

"Where we goin' Cap?" asked one of the sailors for the mission. Coby had hired his best sailors for the job, as speed was of the utmost importance.

"We're going to the New World, lady and gentlemen," announced Coby. "We're going to Risky Red Island."

**A/N:** Phew, that was long. As always, give a like and comment...whoops, wrong platform! Please review! Reviews are my lifeblood! I'm writing this as my bedroom floor is submerged in flood water. It looks like it's going to rain heavily again.


	4. Risky Red Island (Arc I)

**The Golden Trio  
**Chapter 4 - Risky Red Island (Arc I)

**Grand Line - Marine Ferry**

The motley group set off early in the morning, sailing with favorable winds. As Marines, they cannot go underwater to Fishman Island for crossing the Red Line. Instead, they had to go through Mariejois, the World Government's headquarters, and secure permission for safe passage over the continent.

Helmeppo, Coby, and Rika sat on the prow of the ship, discontent to stay inside when the chill and spray of seawater stopped them from falling asleep again. Coby excused himself for a minute, saying he was going to the bathroom, but the duo had been waiting for him for longer. Helmeppo decided to carry on without him and tell her about the mission.

Rika was being briefed informally about the whole situation when Coby brought over some drinks. "All of it is instant, " he remarked sadly. "Which ones do you want?"

"I'll take the coffee," picked Helmeppo.

"Then tea for me, please," answered Rika.

Coby got up and went back to the kitchen to retrieve breakfast which was buttered bagels and bacon strips.

"So we have to pay toll fees to pass over the Red Line?" asked Rika while munching daintily on her food. Coby momentarily forgot to answer, immersed in Rika's early morning aura.

"Ah, uh, well that's if you're a citizen," he recovered, earning a snort from Helmeppo. "When you're a Marine, you get a free pass, but you still have to register."

"What about the ship?"

"Since this is of the smaller variety, we get to use the crane."

Being the ever-helpful wingman, Helmeppo fished out a notebook, inkwell, and feather. He drew it for Rika to see. "Only the civilians and Marines who use big galleon-size ships have to change when they go over the line," he added.

"Heeeh~"

"Captain, we're nearing the Red Line," called out the navigator. The boat slowed down to a toll station a fair distance from the entrance.

"Business?" mumbled an obviously sleepy stationmaster.

"Captain Coby, Marine Headquarters," said the pinkette, complying. "I am here on orders for a retrieval mission at Risky Red Island." He presented his license, as well as everyone else on board. The stationmaster stamped them one by one.

"Oh, so our licenses double as passports," whispered Rika to herself. Her actions didn't escape Helmeppo's notice and decided to tell Coby after.

"Proceed."

Rika could see the civilian entrance having a fair bit more people, but to her chagrin, these people were coming _from_ the New World and not _to_ it.

"I understand why you'd want to live in Paradise," she asked to no one in particular. "But why have an entrance to go back?"

"That entrance is rarely used, but you can tell," Helmeppo supplied. "They're usually bounty hunters, thrill-seekers who don't last long before coming back, or merchants who ply their goods to and fro."

As they reached port, she could see numerous metal elevators rising high above the clouds as well as a giant crane picking up small seacraft one by one.

"How does that work?" she asked once again, her curiosity on full force. Coby and Helmeppo looked at each other and Helmeppo signaled that it was Coby's turn.

"The crane here picks a boat up and puts it on a travellator for boats," said Coby, jogging up to Rika's left side. "We get a set amount of time to wander around the tourist area of Mariejois before another crane picks it up and sets it down in the New World."

"Cap, they said the ship will arrive at noon," said one of Coby's men, who were busy signing some docking papers.

"Okay, we'll meet back at the New World port at around 13:00 hours," Coby commanded. "It's shore leave for now."

As everyone went to their own devices and agendas, the trio rode an elevator up to the sky. Rika looked down on the clear elevator floor and felt dizzy, so she held on to Coby's shoulder while closing her eyes. The pinkette could do nothing but act as a lamppost at this point, while Helmeppo was busy giggling at the scene with the elevator operator. As they exited the contraption, the operator gave Coby a small packet of something rubbery, which he immediately wanted to throw...but he could not see a trash can anywhere, so he pocketed it, hoping to find one later. They walked around aimlessly for a short time until they found a park.

"Geez, whose big idea was it to put windows on the floor instead of the sides?" grumbled Rika, who was sitting on the tourist area's park bench.

"Irrelevant. All that matters is you got scared," stated Helmeppo as a matter-of-fact.

"I'm not talking to you," replied Rika to which Helmeppo laughed even more.

"For what it's worth, I thought you looked cute being scared, Rika-san," tried Coby, aiming to ease Rika's feelings through a little flattery and truth in his part. She just glared at him and looked away.

As best buddies, Coby and Helmeppo have their own secret bro code, and for them, it was blinking the Morse Code.

"_What did I do?"_ winked Coby.

"_Not my problem,"_ replied Helmeppo through his eyes.

"_You're a really great help, you know that?"_

"_I'm not the one who wants to have a woman in his life."_

"What are you guys doing winking at each other?" asked a suspicious Rika.

Caught red-handed, both boys spun a tale, practiced numerous times in secret just for a situation like this.

"We were exercising our eyelids," offered Coby, blinking randomly.

"It's to keep our eyes moist and healthy," said Helmeppo in a sing-song voice, rapidly opening and closing his eyes like a high-class lady would in cartoons.

Rika rolled her eyes in response.

**Mariejois - New World Port**

"Setting sail! Man the oars, we're getting out of here, lads!" commanded the ship captain, directing his small crew to their duties. Coby looked out at the sky. It was dark and cloudy, a sure sign of a storm coming.

"Maybe we should turn back," he said to the captain. "The weather is not agreeing with us."

"Nothing like a little danger to sail over," replied the gruff man. His beard was that of a caveman's, unkempt and bushy. "Don't worry your little head, we'll get to Risky Red safe and sound."

_I sure hope so,_ thought the Marine as he headed inside towards the sleeping quarters where his friends were situated.

Rika looked up as Coby entered. "Is everything alright?" she asked while double-checking her things. Helmeppo was leaning against the wall, obviously bored.

"I spoke to the men and they said it was fine," he answered, sitting on his hammock. "I know we'll get there early tomorrow, but I have the strangest feeling something is about to happen."

"Don't say that or something really will," quipped Helmeppo, climbing into his own hammock. Rika was draping hers with a bedcover. "You don't like rope marks on your skin?"

"I'm sort of a neat freak," she replied. Coby got out of his own and helped her tie the ends. "Thanks. That helped."

Coby just smiled and turned. At least if they got shipwrecked, he would be with his friends...

* * *

_Rescue her!_

_Quick, grab her hand!_

_Helmeppo! _

_Coby!_

_RIKAAAAAAAAAA!_

With a gasp, the girl opened her eyes. She looked around weakly, realizing that she was in some kind of log cabin. A fireplace was burning, a pot cooking something on top of it. A coat hanger was nearby, and with it were her clothes. She attempted to retrieve them, only to feel weakened.

"Don't move, dear," said a homely voice, and Rika looked up to see an old lady carrying a bowl of porridge. "You're still hurt after the beating your boat got at sea."

"Where are my friends?" asked Rika feverishly. "Where are my belongings?"

"I'm sorry, but there was only this gentleman with you along with three other Marines," signaled the old lady, gesturing to four futons on the floor behind her. On them were three crewmates out of the six managing the ship, and Helmeppo was on the last one. "The blond man carried you from the wreck. He said they were going to search for their comrades first thing in the morning."

"Is that so," said Rika, forcing herself to calm down. _I've been a burden to them._

"I'll tell you everything in the morning," she whispered kindly. "Rest easy now."

Rika slept fitfully in the knowledge that there were four others out in the cold.

**New World - Unknown Island**

Coby woke up disoriented and confused. He tried to move his right hand but it was being bogged down by something. He looked at it and saw that it was Rika's stroller. His body was washed up by the water, and his clothes were wet and torn from the storm. Looking at his pitiful state, he tried fishing out usable clothes and items, yet all he got were a dry tinderbox, a miniature spyglass, candies, toothpaste, and a toothbrush. Everything else did not fit him or were useless from the moisture. Pocketing all that he could find, he set out for a sign of civilization.

His head still hurting but thankfully not bleeding, he remembered the whole situation vividly. They had been sleeping when one of the crew barged into their quarters. Their little ship had been braving the storm, yet they had to deal with a rampaging sea monster. They asked for Coby's help, yet a huge wave came cascading on them just before he could one-shot the creature. As if it wasn't enough, one of the tails of the sea monster, which looked so much like a squid, came crashing down as well, wrecking the tiny ship. Helmeppo dove to rescue Rika who had been asleep at the time of the incident; Coby remembered calling Helmeppo and Rika before he blacked out.

He rubbed his hands together, trying to fight off the frigid air. He figured that walking deep into the jungle would give him clues of human habitation. So far though, no luck.

Just then, he heard footsteps, heavy ones. Making sure he would not be heard, he sneaked towards the sources of the sounds. As he peered through the bushes, he saw a lot of men around a wheelbarrow in the middle of a small animal trail.

"...Guyle, I've finished tying them up," said a boy, clapping his hands at a job well done. Behind him was...three crewmates of his ship!

"Alright, load em up now," the man named Guyle commanded, and all the other men with him complied. "Stancen-san won't be happy if we're late."

Coby was not about to let his crew get away. Ripping away his shirt and risking the cold, he pretended to be a drunkard lost in the middle of nowhere. _Time to put my acting skills to the test!_

He walked a little funny, stumbling over the littlest humps on the trail. "Eiiiiii guuuyyyyssshhhhhhh," he slurred, his head swaying a lot from side to side. "Some boozeshhh would beeeee niicceeeesshhhh."

"Leave him," said Guyle. "We don't want to be late for the gathering."

"Boooyyyyy, doooo youuu have foooodddd?" Coby appealed to the little boy in the group. _Maybe his juvenile opinion might sway some of the others._ Some of the men in the wheelbarrow displayed recognition, but luckily were intelligent enough to not display it openly.

"Guys, let's take him in for a while," said the kid, concerned for the drunkard. "Let's give him some clothes and food. Maybe a little board for a while?"

"We're not a fucking day care, Jiro," said a man with bushy hair. "Leave the guy alone."

"Luffy didn't leave us when we were out there in the cold!" Coby's eyes went bigger when he heard that. _These people have a connection with Luffy-san? _Now he really could not let them go.

The elder men looked at each other and deliberated silently. The man named Guyle then relented. "Okay men, just chuck him into the wheelbarrow and we'll make this fast."

"Thank you, Guyle!"

"Shut up."

Coby was sure that these people were pirates, but not of the usual kind. He hoped their captain was someone as understanding too.

**Unknown Island - Granny's House**

Helmeppo woke up with an aching head. He was surprised that he was not lying in some random trash bin, wasted. The covers that he laid in was soft and smelled clean. Light streaming through the windows told him it was morning, and when he looked towards where the smell of cooking food came from, he noticed someone familiar wearing a dress.

"This seems familiar, Helmeppo-san," remarked the girl, and Helmeppo realized it was Rika.

"Rika! Where are we? What about Coby? Ow!" Helmeppo realized his ribs were banged up, bandaged tightly to avoid excessive movement.

"Don't move too much," admonished Rika, coming over with a hot bowl of chicken soup. "I made the men go out and investigate our surroundings, as well as retrieve whatever is left from the wreck."

"I see," nodded the bladesman. "So where are we?"

Rika smiled. "We're at Risky Red Island! Though it's not what we thought it was." She looked sad, and Helmeppo wondered why.

"Whatever it is, we have to make Coby and the others a priority," said Helmeppo, braving the pain and sitting up despite Rika's complaints. "We've wasted enough time on our mission."

Something outside was brewing. A noisy commotion was happening and Rika took a look. The granny barged into the house and immediately told her freeloaders to burn everything Marine-related in the furnace. "Come on, quickly children!"

Rika gathered everything Marine-related from their belongings and threw them into the pit of fire.

"Why? What's the reason for all this?" asked a furious Helmeppo as whip cracks could be heard fromt he outside, along with screaming voices he was sure were his crewmates on the ship. "We're Marines, we can help!"

"Shut yer trap if you know what's good for you!" whispered the grandmother furiously. "I just took you in because nobody would, and I'm not so cold as to leave people in the sea like that! I shouldn't even be sheltering you in the first place!" Outside, laughter was to be heard along with various insults to the Marines and their organization.

"Helmeppo-san, these people are living under pirates," said Rika, sitting at the table clutching a cup of tea with both hands. "They had been sending letters in secret to HQ for a while now, asking for help. When they found us, they saved us thinking their prayers were answered."

"But we were never told to save a village..." Helmeppo's eyes dawned with comprehension.

"That's correct," said Rika grimly. "The order about a retrieval of criminals was a lie. They gave us an impossible job, Helmeppo-san."

The old lady looked on outside as she watched the poor men she sheltered just hours ago get dragged on the ground by the same pirates they had been seeking help for.

"I hope my granddaughter is alright," she muttered sadly.

**Unknown Island - Pirate Ship**

Coby woke up from his rocky sleep, immediately covering his eyes from the harsh morning sunlight. It turned out that he dozed off from all his fatigue, and he mentally slapped himself for doing so.

"You awake, mister?"

Coby turned around to look at the kid he deceived. He should have been no more than 10 years old, 11 at the most. He decided to drop the drunkard act, seeing as drunks didn't remain so after sleeping it off.

"Where am I, kid?"

"Um, in a wheelbarrow?"

Coby shook his head.. "Not that, I mean the place. The island, what island am I on now?"

"You got smashed too hard you don't remember where you are, huh?" said one of the men, laughing. "Damn dude, you're more hardcore than I am when it comes to alcohol!"

"We're at Mystoria," replied Guyle. "We're going back to our ship. How about you? Where are you going?"

"If you don't mind, can you drop me at Risky Red Island?"

**Risky Red Island - Pirate Mansion**

"Sir, we've captured three Marines," said a grunt, kneeling with one knee to the ground. A man with blue, spiky hair and wearing a dark green cape stood up from his chair.

"Marines, you say?" he asked. "How many more are there?"

"We're combing the island as we speak."

The caped man stood with a flourish. "Call all of the others here. We're staging a meeting. It seems the Marines are making their move on this island, when even the daunted White Hunter Smoker can't come near us."

One by one, the commanders of the elaborate operation in Risky Red Island walked through the conference room doors.

First was Mad Scientist Dantalion, smelling strongly of chemicals. Worth 10,000,000 Beli, he is wanted for being one of Caesar Clown's associates in the explosion at Punk Hazard.

Next through the doors was Corpse Retriever Lamies, an old man wearing a dapper suit and a hat. A skilled fixer, he is adept at killing people through sneaky means and assuming their identity, making it look as though the person never died. He is worth 10,000,000 Beli.

Coming right after him were Pied Piper Rofocale and Domino 28. These two had just come back from a tax mission, which was to collect payments from the villages around them. The idea of subjugating an island through fear was nothing new, and so far no one enroached on their territory.

Pied Piper Rofocale was a bard, known for his soothing music in battle. He reputedly could make enemies sleep with a simple strum of his banjo, and make allies enraged with a staccato. He is wanted for 20,000,000 Beli.

Domino 28 was Dantalion's creation; the epitome of Lamies and his genius. One time, Lamies killed this very beautiful woman, and Dantalion was there to witness it. Impressed by her beauty, he fashioned her a robotic body modeled from the early prototypes of the Pacifistas renowned Marine genius Vegapunk created, making her a cold-blooded beautiful death machine.

Last but not least was the head honcho of that area, Crimson Lord Sabrac. Once a very potent bounty hunter, he was captured by Kaidou for almost beating one of his commanders. Impressed by his combat prowess though, he was offered a place in his crew, which Sabrac refused, and instead requested for land where he could rule over. He now runs the Crimson Pirates, a gathering of deadly criminals from the New World, and is worth 50,000,000 Beli. His bounty did not reflect his true combat ability, which suited the former assassin just fine.

"First order of business...the Marines in this island."

**Mystoria Island - Pirate Ship**

Coby had just eaten a hearty breakfast, getting to know everyone on the ship. He learned that the Straw Hat Pirates had fed them, cured their captain, and defended their honor against a family of bounty hunters back in Paradise. He was glowing inside, proud of his pirate friend that he still looked up to until that day.

The captain of the crew, Puzzle, was standing at the prow of their ship. Coby walked up to him, making no sound whatsoever.

"I can sense you, Cozhi," he said, making Coby laugh. Coby had adopted the name "Cohzi" while on the ship, preferring to keep his identity secret. Puzzle laughed with him too, then became silent all of a sudden.

"Why the long face?" Coby asked.

Puzzle sighed, leaning back against the railing. "We're stuck in the same situation the Straw Hats found us in earlier. We're stuck doing things we don't wanna do."

"Like tying Marines up?"

"Yeah, but not like we had a choice," said the redhead. "They told us it was our toll fee for passing through their area. This whole strip of islands," he spread both of his arms across, "is their jurisdiction."

"Who appointed them? Why don't you fight back?" asked Coby once again.

"You're a good guy, Cozhi," said Puzzle. "There are just times when we can't, and this is one of them. They're backed by Kaidou, one of the Yonkou. Even I know I'm no match for that."

Coby ruminated on the details, thinking how this tied into his mission.

"We'll be there in about an hour," Puzzle started, changing the topic. "D'you like the shirt I gave you?"

"Yeah yeah, it's great," smiled the pinkette, mind still occupied by how things were linked. "Listen, uh, I'm glad that you gave me a ride back, but just promise me one thing."

"Sure, as long as it's not money."

"Treat your prisoners well."

Puzzle looked at Coby long and hard. "We know about the situation in Risky Red," he said. "We're not them. We're not who you think we are."

Coby smirked. "I'm not who you think I am either."

**A/N:** Update! So I shamelessly stole some of the names and characteristics from another anime, but it's just so hard to come up with names! I hope no one gets angry at me. I'm just too lazy to invent things on the fly, and it's easier to come up with behavioral tendencies when you have a picture to work with. Um, so I made the Phoenix Pirates a thing. Haha. I was going to extend Mariejois with more hijinks, but I was fed up with how long everything would have been so I didn't. Maybe I'll make a side-story later. I'm sorry the first half of this fanfic sucks, I was busy being uninspired.

**To Guest: **Thank you for reviewing! I think mine is the only one Coby/Rika fic out there so I'd hold calling it the best. I'm glad you like my fic though.

**To DoubleM7:** Keep reading and reviewing! :)


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